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Alecto Hawke
"You know, when I joined King Cailan's army, no one asked me why I was fighting and not just running instead. But now that I raise my weapon for the cause of my father, the cause of my sister, the cause of the man I love, people start acting as if fighting someone else's fight isn't exactly what soldiers do." Alecto Hawke, born in 9:9 Dragon, also known as the Champion of Kirkwall, is a Fereldan warrior with roots in both Kirkwall nobility and a Fereldan Chasind tribe. Arriving in Kirkwall as a refugee from the Fifth Blight, she quickly reclaimed her family's noble title and eventually played a large role in the mage rebellion of Kirkwall. Overview Physical Appearance Alecto is rather tall for a woman, standing at 179 cm (5.8). Just like her father and siblings, she has rather dark skin and pitch-black hair, which she usually wears in a ponytail. Her body is muscular due to her being trained as a warrior. On the right side of her face, she has a long scar she obtained in the battle of Ostagar. Despite never being an "official" Chasind clan member, she wears traditional tribal tattoos on her cheeks. Personality Being raised as the daughter of an apostate mage and a runaway noble, Alecto believes that everyone has the right to be free and carve their own path in life. She is - unsurprisingly, given that her father and sister are mages - vocally supportive of mage freedom. Over time, her vocal support also manifests in actions as supports the underground mage movement of Kirkwall and eventually aids the Circle Mages against Meredith. She does, however, tend to turn a bit of a blind eye when it comes to mages, which is most certainly the result of Anders' influence on her and repeatedly called out by the likes of Fenris or Aveline; Alecto tends to defend mages' wrongdoings by deflecting the blame onto the templars or by saying that their crimes are unrelated to their magic. She generally has a diplomatic personality, trying to resolve conflict through calmness and reason, which often, but not always, succeeds. The events during her time in Kirkwall, however, do start to take a toll on her after a while. Alecto becomes more aggressive in her general behaviour, but especially towards templars and slavers. She often feels as if her efforts for peaceful solutions are ultimately useless and she is forced into resorting to violence, a development she dislikes a lot. Alecto does not handle grief and loss very well, blaming herself against better knowledge and leading to her struggling with both depressive episodes and anger issues, the latter of which often result in smashed furniture and/or walls. The loss of her family also left Alecto with a sense of being lost, leading to her plunging even further into her activities for the mages' underground. She is very protective of the people she loves, most notably her younger sister Bethany, to the point where the latter is sometimes a bit annoyed as she feels that she is treated like a child. Threatening someone close to her is a surefire way to gain Alecto as an enemy, and she is always quick to help a friend in need, be it with some comforting words or by cutting down some enemies. Alecto is not shy, but tends to be rather quiet as she will usually only speak when she thinks she has something important to say. This changes, however, among her closest friends or when drunk - or both - and she can actually become quite talkative. She is also a very honest person, sometimes even a bit blunt - partly because she is an absolutely terrible liar. Alecto is a rather serious person, as frequently pointed out by several of her companions, especially Varric. In the rare event that she does make a joke, she usually starts laughing herself before she even has finished speaking, which often ruins the joke altogether. Before meeting Anders, Alecto was rather inexperienced in romantic matters, which leads to her being incredibly awkward when she realizes her feelings for him. Luckily, Anders does not seem to mind. Varric sometimes points out how lucky Alecto was to find a partner who has enough charm for both of them - but only if he is out of Alecto's range for hitting him. Even if she disregards Varric's comments on the matter, she does feel self-conscious about her lack of charm and considers herself to be of average attractiveness, at best. Despite having reclaimed her title, Alecto does not view herself as a noble. She dislikes the behaviour and lifestyles of most nobles, thinking of them as pretentious and a waste of time. Also, Alecto still considers herself a Fereldan despite spending many years in Kirkwall; she feels that the down-to-earth attitude of most Fereldans suits her better than the Orlesian-like lifestyle of the Free Marches. Although she is normally kind, Alecto becomes a scary opponent once angered. From her point of view, battle should be avoided as long as possible, but once that point has passed, any kind of restraint is out of place. She is known for an unusually aggressive style of fighting, often engaging multiple enemies at once and getting herself into danger quickly. Dangerous as it might be, it has proven to be quite effective, as it often catches enemies by surprise. Her fighting style becomes especially deadly when she is fighting alongside Anders (which is most of the time, really), as he will quickly heal most wounds Alecto suffers, nullifying the downside of her destructive style of fighting. 'Talents and Skills' Alecto has specialized in the use of greatswords. During her time in Kirkwall, she used her contacts with the Black Emporion to acquite a vial of Dragon's Blood and used it to gain the abilities of a Reaver, which suits her aggressive style of fighting well. Her combat abilities are well-known and feared, especially, of course, after she takes down the Arishok in a duel. As the daughter of an apostate, Alecto was always prepared to leave her home in a hurry. Therefore, she has acquired an impressive repertoire of survival skills - fishing, trapping, crafting basic necessities. After having reached Kirkwall, she rarely has to rely on those skills anymore; however, she still tries to make time for them. She also has a decent singing voice and is often found humming a melody when she feels unobserved. Biography History Alecto's father, Malcolm Hawke, was the son of a Chasind couple who lived in a tribe that resided not far from Lothering, Ferelden. His magic abilities manifested at the age of 10 and he was thus given to the tribe shaman in order to master his abilities and maybe become a shaman one day himself. Things changed when the Templar commander of the chantry of Lothering died and a replacement arrived from Denerim. The new commander was both quite zealous and ambitious - a dangerous combination for any mage in his reach. Once he learned that the nearby Chasind harboured mages, he ordered his men to march for the villages and capture the mages. He was later scolded and demoted for going on his own like that by the Chantry, who did not want a diplomatic incident with the Chasind, but for Malcolm, the damage had already been done - the shaman of his tribe had been killed in the battle and he found himself on the way to the Circle of Magi in Kirkwall. Malcolm spent the rest of his youth in the Circle. In 9:5 Dragon, he met Leandra Amell, the daughter of a local noble. Despite their difference in social status and with the aid of a templar named Ser Maurevar Carver and Leandra's brother Gamlen, Malcolm started to court Leandra. The two fell in love and in 9:8 Dragon, Leandra revealed that she was pregnant with Malcolm's child. The two married in secret and agreed to run away to Ferelden together. Malcolm struck a deal with a Grey Warden commander named Larius, who needed his asssist sealing Corypheus' prison. In turn, the Wardens helped Malcolm and Leandra escape Kirkwall. Once arrived in Ferelden, the couple was constantly moving around in order to avoid the templars. Alecto's birth in 9:9 Dragon was followed by that of her younger twin sibling Bethany and Carver in 9:12. In 9:20, when Bethany was 8 years old, her magic abilities manifested. In order to be able to teach his daughter himself, Malcolm and his family finally settled down near Lothering - the very village where Malcolm originated from, as he still had some friends left in the nearby Chasind village. The family started to run a small farm, and as Malcolm was adept in healing magic, the villagers quickly did their share to protect him from the templars. Alecto showed special interest in her Chasind heritage, visiting the village frequently and eventually gaining the attention of some Chasind warriors, who provided her with combat training. Alecto joined the army at age 18. In 9:27 Dragon, when Alecto was 19, Malcolm Hawke died unexpectedly of an illness. When the Fifth Blight began in 9:30 Dragon, recruiters of the royal army came to Lothering in search of volunteers against the darkspawn, which led Carved to enlist for duty, just like his sister. They reunited the day before the battle of Ostagar; however, the battle was lost and the siblings fled to Lothering together, only to have to flee from the darkspawn horde again not much later. In-game Overview During the flight from Lothering, Alecto's younger brother Carver died engaging a darkspawn ogre. Despite their strained relationship, Alecto was devastated over his death and blamed herself for not protecting him better - Leandra blaming the very same thing on her did not help at all. Upon meeting Flemeth, Alecto remembered the legends about her and told her that if there is any way to bring Carver back, she would be willing to make any sacrifice - but Flemeth just stated that even she cannot bring back the dead, and that even trying would go against anything nature ever intended and could bring only sorrow. Flemeth agreed to help the remaining group to reach Kirkwall, but upon arriving there they quickly learned that Alecto's uncle, Gamlen, had wasted the entire family fortune. Alecto struck a deal with a local mercenary leader, Meeran, and worked for him for a year in exchange for getting into the city. After that year was over, Alecto and her family were struggling to make ends meet, and Bethany being forced into hiding from the templars did not help matters. Fortunately - for both of them, as it showed -, Alecto ran into Varric Tethras just at the right time. Varric, having heard about Alecto and her work for Meeran, suggested that with the right amount of money and knowledge, she would be able to secure herself a place in his brother Bartrand's expedition to the Deep Roads. Alecto agreed to the deal and took every job she could get her hands on in order to acquire the necessary money, leading to her making some friends, as well as enemies, on the way. On Varric's advice, she also reached out to Anders, a former Grey Warden and apostate who was hiding in the city - a fateful encounter. Bartrand was surprised about Varric's suggestion to let a human join their expedition, but was quickly swayed by both money and maps of the Deep Roads. Despite his declared hatred for the Deep Roads, Anders agreed to come along, and fearing the templars might otherwise catch her, Alecto also brought Bethany with her. Things took a dark turn when Bartrand betrayed Alecto and Varric, leaving them behind in the Deep Roads. To make matters worse, Bethany fell ill to the Blight soon after. Anders, who revealed that he had stolen the maps from the Wardens, convinced Alecto to search out the Wardens as they were the only ones able to save Bethany's life by recruiting her into the Wardens. They managed to reach the Wardens in time, and they agreed to take Bethany with them. Uncertain about whether she would ever hear from her sister again, Alecto then made her way back to the surface. Leandra was devastated over the news, blaming Alecto for not keeping Bethany safe, and bringing her along in the first place. The family soon received a letter from Bethany, who had survived the Joining, but was frightened and discontent with her new life - and resentful towards her sister for forcing it upon her. With the money from the expedition, Alecto bought back the former Amell estate and was recognized as rightful heir to house Amell by the viscount. Guilt-ridden over Bethany's fate, Alecto soon blamed the templars for the events, as she felt that they had forced her to take Bethany with her with their relentless hunt for apostates. This was certainly not without Anders' influence, as during the following years, the two became rather close, working together for the mages underground and relying on each other for the support they needed. No one except the two of them was actually surprised when they finally admitted their feelings for each other and entered a relationship, roughly two years after the expedition had ended. Other than that, Alecto spent the three years after the expedition mainly building up a respectable amount of contacts and helping out her friends with personal matters. Just when things finally seemed to go Alecto's way, her mother was brutally murdered. Devastated over the loss of almost her entire family, Alecto plunged herself into work. Luckily, there was work all around - having had run-ins with the Arishok before, the viscount asked for Alecto's assistance to calm down the growing tensions with the Qunari. Alecto tried her best to prevent violence from breaking out - ultimately, to no avail. The Arishok attacked the city and killed the viscount, and Alecto, unwilling to hand over Isabela, who had been a good friend to her, to the Qun, killed him in a duel. For that, she was declared the new champion of Kirkwall - much to the disdain of Knight-Commander Meredith, who knew well about Alecto's stance towards mages and templars. As Champion of Kirkwall, Alecto was one of the most influential people in the city, surpassed only by Meredith herself. She used her position to support the local mages however she could and grew more extreme in her opposition towards the templars, who, in her eyes, were obviously not able to protect the citizens from the actually dangerous mages, anyway. Her radical views somewhat alienated her from most of her former friends, and as she also had lost her family, she slowlily became more and more socially isolated - apart from Anders, of course, who was struggling to keep Justice under control. After three years as Champion, Alecto finally witnessed the destruction of the Kirkwall chantry - by the hands of her own partner. Meredith was quick to invoke the Right of Annulment, and Alecto was equally as quick to oppose her, siding with the Circle Mages. Grateful for her support, Orsino left Anders' fate in her hands. Although Alecto did not exactly approve of Anders' actions, she knew him well enough to understand his motivations, and asked him to join her in defending the mages. Sebastian was outraged and left the group, swearing revenge upon Alecto and Anders, as Alecto refused to budge on the matter. Fenris also saw himself unable to fight for the mages, joining Meredith instead. The rest of her companion stayed loyal to Alecto and helped her defending the mages from Meredith. Anders apologized to Alecto for not trusting in her, and the two of them agreed to flee Kirkwall together after the fight. After being forced to kill Orsino, Alecto finally faced and ultimately killed Meredith in the Gallows, ending her madness. Cullen, who was briefly in charge as Knight-Commander, ordered his templars to let Alecto leave the city. Post-game After the death of Meredith in 9:37 Dragon, Alecto fled the city just in time before templar reinforcements arrived. When she left, Alecto left behind all of her former companions with the exception of Anders. Her being the known killer of both Orsino and Meredith and Anders being a wanted apostate murderer, they knew that they would have to spend a lot of time fleeing and hiding. With Varric's help, they boarded a ship back to Ferelden. They used their contacts with the Mage Underground to keep up their support of the mage revolution. Anders continued to struggle to keep Justice under control, but Alecto's seemingly unceasing support helped with it. In 9:39, two years after her escape from Kirkwall, Alecto gave birth to a baby daughter after an unplanned pregnancy. The child was named Leah, after Alecto's deceased mother Leandra. With Bethany still in the order and Anders being an ex-Warden, Alecto grew concerned as she later heard rumors about the Grey Wardens acting suspiciously and disappearing. With Varric's help, Alecto arranged for Bethany to be relocated to Anderfels. When Varric informed her of Corypheus' involvement in 9:41, Alecto made plans to travel to Skyhold, reluctantly leaving Anders and her child behind as Corypheus had already shown his influence over Grey Wardens. Alecto then accompanied Inquisitor Trevelyan as she tries to track down the missing Grey Wardens. In the fade, Loghain Mac Tir sacrificed himself in order for the rest of the group to escape. Being a veteran of Ostagar, Alecto did not feel all too bad about it, as she felt that Loghain deserved this chance to finally redeem himself from what he had done. Eager to get out of sight as soon as possible, Alecto then traveled to Weisshaupt, leaving her family behind again as Anders was still regarded as a deserter by the Wardens. After completing her mission and with Varric as the newly installed Viscount, Alecto, Anders and their daughter finally returned to Kirkwall in 9:44 Dragon. Alecto could eventually reclaim her title as a Champion, helping Varric out wherever she could. Anders, meanwhile, eventually reopened his clinic in Darktown. Although it was pretty much an open secret that he was living with Alecto, no one seemed to be willing to sacrifice time and resources to prosecute him, especially since the two most powerful figures in the city - Varric and Alecto herself - were protecting him. As Leliana was made Divine Victoria, the Circles were officially disbanded; Alecto and Anders lived to see their dream come true. Relationships Family Malcolm: "My father was a great man. There's no way I can do him justice in just a few sentences. I remember how great a teacher he was, and how disappointed he could look at you when you messed something up. I sometimes wonder if, wherever he is now, he is watching over me - and if he is proud." Leandra: "It's strange. Before the Blight, my mother and I, we were not ... always agreeing. About the whole soldier thing, of course, but also small things...we argued a lot. That seems so far away now, those arguments so silly. I hope she knew that those things didn't matter in the end ... and that I loved her." Bethany: "I know that my sister resents me for making her join the Wardens. I understand that, but nevertheless ... it hurts. It hurts being blamed when I was just trying to save her life, it hurts seeing her suffer when I promised to keep her safe. That is what being hunted does to people. That is why it has to end." Carver: "I sometimes wonder what my brother would say to all this, if he was... still here. But to be honest, it would probably be something along the lines of 'Good job starting a war upon all of Thedas, sister. Trying hard to overshadow me this time, aren't you?'. That ass. Maker, I miss him so much. Gamlen: "You know, Gamlen isn't all that bad. I mean, not to say he is the most pleasant person, but - after all, he got us into the city. Helped us out when we needed help the most. He has made mistakes, but haven't we all? He is part of my family - or whatever is left of it." Companions Anders: "Is that a trick question? I mean, I can go into a random tavern and hear the most interesting stories about my relationship. Not a trick? Well, then. If there's one thing I'm gonna say about this... I will never give him up. And if the Maker is at my door and wants to take him, he'd better get ready to fight." Aveline: "People always say they're surprised that Aveline and I are friends. I don't get it. We both stand up for what we believe in. We both fought for Kirkwall when we were needed, even though it was not always our home. And we both have been called 'human siege weapon' before. Why would we not be friends?" Fenris: "Fenris... a pity. Really, I mean that. There is ... little I can say apart from that. I wish I could have avoided fighting him. If only he had been willing to see ... well, it does not matter now, does it? I chose my path - and he chose the one that crossed it. That's all." Isabela: "I'll admit it, I just don't get Isabela. I've known her for ... what, seven years now? And I still don't get that woman. You think you are friends - she's backstabbed you and on the go. You think you can't trust her - there she is fighting by your side. I'm glad that she's on my side though - or at least it seems that way." Merrill: "Merrill is a sweet girl. Always kind to everyone, even to people who are not that kind towards her. Yes, she is a blood mage. And yet ... I'm not a mage. I have no idea how it is, having demons preying on you. I just know that if you spent seven years defying a danger, you are definitely strong enough to face it." Sebastian: "I heard Sebastian has finally taken his throne back? Took him long enough. I don't know what he is trying to prove with that attack on Kirkwall. He knows perfectly well that we have left long ago. The logic of a tyrant, I suppose. Sad, but not unexpected. There was a reason he was put in the Chantry, after all." Tallis: "Tallis? Ugh. Don't ask. One of the many occasions where I regretted listening to Varric. Smart-ass backstabbing Qunari-... alright, I'll stop here. You get the point. I'll never understand Qunari, you know. Especially not when they think it's a good idea to ask the person who killed their leader for help." Varric: "Varric? Did you ask him about me as well? Bet he had some really witty remark ready. Well, I'm not the type for that, so ... he's a good one. Really. He tries so hard for one not to notice, but he has a heart of gold. But don't tell him I said that. He might try to sell it. Heh. Now that WAS witty ... wasn't it?" Others Inquisitor Carys Trevelyan: "The Inquisitor seems like a nice girl. A bit ... how should I put it? A bit too agreeable, maybe. It is weird to see her, a mage, working with all these chantry members and templars as if it was nothing. But ... maybe that's how it will be in the future? One can still hope, I guess." Cassandra: "I'll admit, it is a bit disturbing to meet someone who knows everything about you when you have never even seen that person before. Especially when you're on the run from the Chantry and that person is a Seeker ... but then they just ask you to sign their book. Flattering, yes, but also disturbing." Cullen: "Cullen left the templars for the Inquisition, right? I heard about that. Glad to hear that him seeing reason was not just temporary. He will need some time to make up what he did though. I've seen all those things he let Meredith do ... he could have stopped her and he knows it." Leliana: "Every time I met Leliana, things went downhill very fast shortly after. Lothering, Kirkwall, Chateau Haine, Skyhold ... that woman is like a bad omen incarnate. Nothing against her, though. I don't think she intends being the messenger of doom. I mean, with her being our new Divine, I certainly HOPE so." Meredith: "What's there to say about Meredith? An overly zealous and paranoid templar-commander who got even more zealous and insane due to corrupted lyrium. I think that leaves no questions, does it? She had to be stopped. I just regret I did not do it sooner." Orsino: "I do not know what kind of magic Orsino had to use to ... do what he did. I don't really care, to be honest. He was desperate, driven into a corner by the templars. I don't blame him for resorting to any means he had left. I do blame him for not stopping Quentin, yes. With that, he betrayed Kirkwall - and all his allies." Miscellaneous * The Hero of Ferelden of her worldstate is Siv Aeducan. * The Inquisitor of her worldstate is Carys Trevelyan. * Alecto's name is pronounced ə.ˈlek.toʊ. Due to it being a Chasind name and thus, unknown out of Ferelden, she is used to her name being mispronounced, though. ** In the real world, Alecto is a name of greek origin, derived from the word αληκτος, ''which means "unceasing". The greek version Alekto is also the name of one of the Furies in greek mythology. * Alecto's birthday is the 17th of Harvestmere. (17th October) * Alecto is by far the worst card player in her circle of friends. Her dog included. * She has a massive sweet tooth, but prefers to keep that a secret. 'Links' Reddit Headcanon Threads: Romance interest headcanon thread Reddit Writing prompt Threads: Non-Reddit links (AO3, DeviantArt, Tumblr): Spotify Playlist for Alecto (Login required) '''Gallery' Alecto1.png|Alecto Hawke Category:Hawke Category:Warrior Category:Human Category:Reaver Category:Anders Romance Category:Athanasia94